Samsung and Nest collaborate on 'internet of things' standards

Samsung, Google and more have launched Thread, a new standard protocol for the internet of
things.

Google, or rather its new subsidiary Nest Labs, made the announcement
15 July, along with Samsung, ARM Holdings, Freescale Semiconductor,
Silicon Labs, Big Ass Fans and Yale -- together forming 'Thread
Group'. The idea is to create uniformity among major home brands,
so that when the internet of things truly kicks off there is a
streamlined system, with all devices able to easily and securely
connect to each other using the same protocol.

Nest already uses the wireless network protocol Thread for
its smart thermostat and smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. It will,
however, also work in conjunction with other platforms adjoined to
different IoT groups. This includes those attached to the Open Interconnect
Consortium (OIC), setup last week by Intel, Samsung, Dell and
others to "define connectivity requirements" to ensure "the
interoperability of 212 billion devices projected to come online by
2020". That group followed up from the AllSeen Alliance, setup in
2013 by Qualcomm, with the likes of Microsoft partnering since.

Thread, as demonstrated by Nest's products, works with low-power
connections in order to preserve battery life for longer --
something massively important when dealing with household items
like smoke alarms. It achieves this by connecting across different
networks, from Wi-Fi and NFC to Bluetooth. The system does
effectively use existing protocols -- IPv6 and IEEE 802.15.4
-- but these are laid under its own personal area network protocol
and it is the software it lays on top of that that will create the
uniformity. This is what will also save battery life, as the
devices don't need to switch platforms when communicating with each
other.

The Thread Group will help establish best practice in the field
as well, and will be responsible for certifying products under the
protocol from next year.

"Around that time I imagine that Thread-compliant products will
start hitting the market, but people can start building Thread
today," Chris Boross, a Nest product manager and president of the
Thread Group, told Reuters.

Competitors are coming together to work towards a common goal,
knowing that one-off collaborations are more for marketing purposes
only. It's collaboration that will lead to a truly effectual and
game-changing internet of things future. There are plenty of
outliers, still, though. In the US, Home Depot recently launched 60
Wink-compatible products. The platform, which works on iOS and
Android, links up appliances from the devices from the likes of
Phillips and Honeywell. Then there's Vivint Sky, which has taken
the odd approach of launching
a platform that only works with its own devices. Apple, is the
greatest outlier of all so far, having launched its own HomeKit
platform that synchs up devices using an iOS 8 app.